I came here for you
by Fleppy85
Summary: Sara left after Warrick's funeral, sent the break-up video and Grissom stayed in Vegas, not willing to give up his life. But somebody else was ready to give up his life in Vegas and found Sara wherever she was
1. Chapter 1

"Hey Grissom, can you tell Sara I'll come around five. We want to go to the movies, do you want to join us?" Greg asked when he stopped at Grissom's office after he called it a day and decided to go home.

"No. And you don't have to come along."

"She'll come to the cinema right away?" Even better, saved him a detour.

"I doubt that."

"What do you mean?" Greg furrowed his brows. What was his boss talking about? He and Sara wanted to watch this movie, they talked about it for two weeks ago and it was about time they go to the cinema and watch it before it was taken out of the program. Today he had no overtime, no reason to start his shift early, they could enjoy a few hours of movies and a chat in a bar later - without alcohol of course.

"She isn't here anymore."

"I beg your pardon?"

"She left."

"No." Impossible. He saw Sara yesterday, they had late lunch together. She was in Vegas, never said a word about leaving.

"Sorry Greg, she left. Last night."

Slowly he realized, it was true and that it was for Grissom as much as surprise as it was for him. "Oh...why?"

"She can't stay here."

"I'm sorry." Not only for Grissom, also for himself. She was his best friend and left without saying goodbye. Again.

"We can't stop her, can we?"

No, Greg couldn't do anything to stop her, he was in no position to do so. On the other hand, he was sure Grissom could have done something to stop her. How could he let her go? Again. Last year, when Sara left the team without telling anybody about her decision, he was sure it had nothing to do with Grissom and their relationship. Sure, after the whole department knew about their relationship Sara had to change shifts, wasn't too happy about her new shift. She told him a couple of times how much she missed her old team. It was one reason why he joined her on a case, went with her to a crime scene. To be with her, to work with her again. She wasn't the only one who missed the old team.

Now she was gone again and this time it had nothing to do with her work. He knew she was haunted by bad memories, by the cases and the bad things she saw every day. And then she came back to Vegas because Warrick was killed. Their friend. A funeral, a hard time for her, her boyfriend, who was like a father for Warrick. And as it wasn't enough, Sara had to find out that the husband of a victim, whose case she worked years ago, killed his own wife. So he could continue his life. Greg didn't need to be a psychic to know, the last days in Vegas were everything but easy to his friend.

Now she was gone.

We can't stop her, can we? Grissom's words repeated themselves in his ears over and over again. No, they couldn't stop her. It was too late, she was gone. They couldn't stop her, they should have done anything to make her stay.

"When will she come back?"

"I don't know."

"Where did she go to?"

"I don't know."

What do you know? How can you sit here, do your work while the woman you love is away? How could you let her go? There had to be something you could have done to make her stay. So many questions and Greg knew, he wouldn't get an answer to them. And was in no position to ask them. After all, Grissom was his boss and didn't owe him an explanation; especially not about his private life.

"You have to go to the movies alone."

The movie was the smallest problem he had. His friend was gone. "Yeah...I see you tonight."

"Yes." Grissom turned and continued reading the file, he had in his hands. Like nothing had happened, like it was a day like any other day. Like he didn't lose the woman he loved. Again. How could he be this...cold?

Greg shook his head and walked down the hallway. Sara was gone. Again. Again she didn't say goodbye to him. Again he had no idea where she was, when she came back. Again he was left with a lot of questions. But this time he wouldn't accept his position. He wanted answers and he damn well deserved answers! At least to the main questions. They were friends, he considered her as his best friend, he deserved answers.

* * *

"Hello Greg." Her voice sounded tired, like she had been awake the whole night, restless. Or traveling? She left Vegas twenty-four hours ago, could be on the other side of the world.

"Sara, I heard you're gone."

"Yes...I'm sorry, I should have told you."

"Yes, you should have." Why pretend he wasn't hurt? It hurt so much. More than she could ever imagine.

"I'm a bad friend, I know. Sorry. The thing was...I couldn't stay longer. Not after...after what happened to Pam. It brought everything back, showed me, life hadn't changed and when I stay in Vegas, I'll be exactly where I was one year ago."

"Where are you?" He needed to know. Was she already out of the country?

"In San Diego."

"Really?" She was in his hometown. Somehow it made him feel like she wasn't that far away. San Diego. When she stayed there for a few days, he could come over.

"Yes. I'll leave the day after tomorrow." So much for his plan to go to San Diego.

"To where?"

"Costa Rica."

"Sara...why didn't you say goodbye?"

"I'm...I'm really bad at saying goodbye. Suck at it."

"A bad goodbye is better than no goodbye at all."

"Sorry."

"Will you come back?"

"I don't know."

"What about Grissom?" What was about him? Didn't she care for him? How he felt?

"Grissom...he'll be fine."

"I won't." Did he really say this?

"Don't make it harder, Greg."

"Sorry, but...it's the truth. I miss you, Sara. I missed you the whole last year. More than you can imagine."

"You're still my best friend, Greggo."

"Doesn't feel like it." He knew he was a little bit unfair but he couldn't help himself. She left him without saying a damn word. She planed to stay in another country and told him, he was her best friend? The way she treated him wasn't the way you were supposed to treat a friend. She treated him like...like he meant nothing to her.

"I'm sorry, Greg."

"So am I."

"Look, I can't change what I did, I can't change what I'm about to do. If I stayed in Vegas, it wouldn't be good for me and I don't want you to see me breaking down. Again. You saw more than you should have last year."

"Can't you stay without being a CSI?" So they could meet. Spend time together. Outside work.

"No, I can't. It will always get me, no matter what I do. It caught me of guard this time, it will do it again."

"So I won't see you again?"

"No, you will see me again."

"When? Where?"

"I don't know."

"Sara..." He had no idea what to say while at the same moment there were words on his tongue, he wanted to say, so much. But he knew it were the wrong words, words that didn't help him. Or her. No, those words would make everything even more complicated. Nothing they needed. "I'd like to keep in contact with you. If that's possible. Please. Please don't vanish out of my life, I...I...I need you."

"I won't vanish out of your life, Greg. I promise I'll send you a text message and an email."

"Every day?" Gosh, he sounded so desperate. But it was exactly how he felt. Desperate. She left him. Again. Now he tried to grab whatever was available to keep her in his life.

"I can't promise you I write you every day, there might be days I've no signal, no internet, but I'll keep in touch whenever it's possible."

"Okay." There was nothing he could do. Keeping in touch was better than nothing, better than last year.

"I need to go, have to book my tickets. Be strong, Greggo, I give you a call tomorrow."

"Don't get picked up by a sailor." He said, trying to sound cheerful while he swallowed hard to hold back tears.

"Me? Never! Go to bed, you'll have a busy night again."

"Yeah." He so didn't care. All he wanted was to drive to San Diego, see her. Work. Work was overrated. All he cared for was in San Diego and the worst part about it was, he couldn't tell her this. To her, they were friends, to him, it was more. It always had been more. Sure, he knew she was engaged, kind of, to Grissom. But what kind of engagement was this? When the man stayed in Vegas and let the woman go to a foreign country? Not trying to stop her, not going with her? Greg was sure, if he was in Grissom's shoes, he'd be with Sara, go with her wherever she wanted them to go.

But he wasn't in Grissom's shoes. He didn't have a choice.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hello from below the equator in Puerto Aorta. We've been at sea for over a month now. You wouldn't believe the crew: students, activists, scientists. The dinner conversations alone are mind blowing. There's even this marine biologist that reminds me a little bit of you. I wish we could talk in person but this is the best I can do. I want to apology for being out of touch. I've been thinking about us a lot - you know all the moments. I thought we could survive anything. This trip has given me a lot of clarity. That last year in Vegas, I could barely breathe, let alone think, but now, for the first time in a really long time, I'm happy. Before I left you said some things I tried not to hear but now I think you were right. If a relationship can't move forward, it withers. I've been waiting for you to decide but sometimes not making a decision is making a decision. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is you don't have to worry about me anymore. I'm good. I'm really good and honestly, I think it's better this way."

Words that were burnt into his head, repeated themselves over and over again. Words, he wasn't supposed to hear. But he did. Greg was behind the door when Grissom played Sara's video and even when his first - and probably right - intention had been to turn away, leave and give his boss all the privacy he deserved and wanted, something made him stay. Made him stay there, hidden, listen to Sara's voice. He never had a look at the screen, afraid Grissom might see him, might see his reflection and knew, Greg was listening.

Sara told Grissom it was over, she told him, she had moved on and he should do the same. It was over between them. I'm good. I'm really good. These words sounded nice, but he didn't believe them. The way her voice sounded, she wasn't good. She was hurt and suffered. How could Grissom let her go away? Let her go and stay here, continue to work like nothing had happened.

Greg left the lab, hearing Sara's message in his ears again and again. The radio in his car didn't exist for his ears, his brain. All was focused on Sara and her words. He couldn't remember how he got home, but when he stood in the middle of his apartment and his eyes fell on the computer, he knew what he had to do. With trembling fingers he started the computer, looked at his watch and hoped, the time difference wasn't too big and that Sara was in an area, where she had internet. He had to talk to her.

With flying fingers he signed in to the messenger, the one that also send her a text message on her cell phone when she got a message here. Staring at the screen, waiting for a response, he was aware, the chances, Sara was working or away from the computer, were higher than her sitting in her room, waiting for messages. Whenever she sent the message to Grissom, he doubted she stayed and waited for an answer. An answer, Greg was sure, Grissom didn't give her yet.

When a sound came out of his computer and Sara's name on the screen changed from red to green a smile appeared on Greg's face. There she was, she read his message, came online for him. Before he could type something his chat program rang. Sara called.

"Good morning, stranger." There she was, he could see her. God, this was almost as good as having her really in front of him.

"Good morning, you worked overtime." The soft smile she sent him made him smile even more.

"A little bit. How are you? I miss you."

"I'm good. Actually I'm on a boat, the next two weeks we'll spend here, it's an amazing crew."

"Are you still in Costa Rica?"

"Yes. Are you all right? You look...sad."

"I..." He what? He knew about the message she sent Grissom? He eavesdropped to her message, that was supposed for Grissom only? Everything would be a lie. Was it worse to lie or to tell the truth? "I...I didn't mean to eavesdrop but I heard the message you sent Grissom and..."

"Greg, it was a private message."

"I know...I'm sorry...I...I couldn't get myself to walk away, I knew it was wrong but...it was so good to hear your voice and I...I hoped you'd say you come back."

"No, I won't."

"I heard that too. Sara...I'm sorry I heard what you said and then...then I'm glad I heard it. He would never told us what's up, why you're away. Grissom isn't the only one who misses you, he isn't the only one who needs you back."

"I know." Her voice was sad. "Sorry Greg, but I can't come back. It's...when I tried it the last time, all the nightmares came back. Vegas...it's not the time for me to be in Vegas and honestly I've no idea if there ever be the time for Vegas again."

"Are you telling me you won't come back at all?" Was she about to break with her whole past? With all her friends? With him?

"I'm telling you, I can't promise I come back, can't say, when we meet the next time. I miss you, I want to see you again, but I can't come back to Vegas. It's too...painful."

"Grissom."

"No...well, a little bit. But mostly not him. Of course it hurts that it's over, but...I learnt the last weeks, that some things aren't meant to be and even when I don't understand the reasons why at the moment, there are reasons and I'll understand them, when it's time. We have to make decisions and sometimes your decisions make somebody else decide a new direction."

"Where do these decisions leave us?"

"In different countries, but not out of touch. I promised you I'll keep in contact and we did. Whenever I had the chance, the connection, I wrote to you and this won't stop. You're very important to me, Greg, I love you and I want to keep in touch with you. It will only take some time before we can hug each other again. But I promise, when I plan to come back to the States and be around, I let you know and we'll meet. Maybe we can meet somewhere else than Vegas, you're due for a holiday too."

"There's nobody else?" For a moment he had the feeling Sara told Grissom it was over because she fell on love with somebody else.

"No, there's nobody else. I ended a chapter of my life and will take some time to think about it, figure out what I can learn from this experience and how not to make the same mistakes again. I did enough mistakes, I know it, but as long as you learn from your mistakes, they're not that bad."

"Okay. I miss you, Sara."

She smiled softly. "I miss you too. You're an amazing man, Greg."

"Thanks." And thanks for feeling like a school boy, who got told by his big secret love, he looked cute. Even when it made him also feel a little bit like a fool.

"I've to go now, but I'll send you a text again tonight, tell you what I've been up to today. Go and get some sleep, you look tired. And don't worry too much about me, I'm fine. It hurts but I'll get over it and then times will be better. Sometimes it has to hurt a bit in order to feel better afterwards."

"When you need a special pain killer, I'm available for you. 24/7."

"I know. Sleep tight, guy with the crazy hair."

"The hair isn't the only thing about me that's crazy." He tried to joke.

"I wouldn't know." Sara laughed a bit. "Talk to you soon."

"Bye and take care of yourself." He sighed when her picture was gone. Now he had answers, a lot of answers and even more to think about. Sara would stay in Costa Rica for a while and it was not sure when and if at all, she'd come back to Vegas.

* * *

"We can't let her stay in Costa Rica, you've to do something!" Angry words. Meant for Grissom, said out loud to his own reflection in the mirror. Greg knew he looked like shit, the seven hours of sleep were filled with dreams of Sara. Sara far away, not coming back, getting out of touch, finding a new man. It had been hard enough to lose her to Grissom. Well, not lose her, Greg never had her, but at least she was around, was with him while she was with Grissom. Now this was a different story, she was in another country and the chances, she came back to Vegas went from zero to minus a hundred.

"We can't let her stay in Costa Rica, she belongs to us, do something!" Yes, she belonged to Vegas, she was a part of his life, a very important part. It was not an option to have her in another country. Without a return date. The last months had been bad enough, this was worse. No way. He had to do something. Yes, he, Greg. Because Grissom would never get over himself to do something, to get Sara back. His boss made his decision by not making a decision. Now it was time Greg made a decision.

Slipping into jeans and a shirt, he took his coffee and sat on the balcony of his apartment. A plan. He needed a damn plan. How to get Sara back to Las Vegas? What was it that got her here? Grissom. Grissom, who asked her to come here, work on Warrick's case. Okay, nothing he could use now. What did she love about Vegas? She never mentioned anything in particular. She came here because of Grissom and stayed here...because of Grissom. At least first. Greg liked to believe later Sara stayed because of the team, because of the friends she made here. Not only because of Grissom.

So Vegas, the city, had nothing Sara really liked. Nothing he could think of. Contrary, it gave her nightmares, made her feel bad. A lot of bad memories, a lot of bad moments. She had been abducted and almost killed here; because of her job, because of her relationship to Grissom. She lost friends, watched friends suffer, being in hospital, shot. The more he thought about it, the clearer it became: Vegas wasn't a good place for Sara.

Okay, that was one step. Time for the next one. The job. He knew she quit her job because she had the feeling, no matter what she did, it wasn't enough to stop the bad guys. She felt overpowered, felt like it go worse every day. The joy and interest in her job was gone, desperation and frustration replaced them. Now she was away, on a boat, working with a team on ecological balance projects. Out in the nature, away from crime. When she said she was happy, he believed she was happy in her new job, but not the rest of her life. Meant, he had to keep the happiness and expand it to other areas of her life; to all others. How could he do that? And how could he do that with her, with her in his life, being close to her?

Fact was, if he didn't want to accept the situation: Sara gone in Costa Rica and not willing to return to Vegas, he had to change things. He couldn't change her plans, he had to change his plans. How to do that? And was he ready for a change?


	3. Chapter 3

Greg groaned. Another leaf ended in his face. He had stopped counting how many leaves had hit his face and wondered, if he looked like he met the group of teenagers again, that almost killed him a few years ago. It surely felt painful. Step by step he fought his way through leaves, bushes, grass and whatever else was in his way, his eyes on the GPS, trying not to lose his way. There was only one way and when he took the wrong turn, he ended up somewhere in the nowhere.

That he was here was like a little miracle. If anybody had told him a few months ago, he would be here now, with a crazy plan on his mind, he had laughed his ass off. This was crazy, this was stupid, this was...so much what he wasn't. What he was taught not to be. His parents would get a nervous breakdown if they knew where he was, what he did and was about to do. First he shocked them by changing from the lab to the fields, becoming a CSI and now...now he was just crazy.

How much further did he have to go? According to the GPS he was there. Maybe he was there but besides him nobody was here. What now? Shouting out for help? If he took a wrong way, nobody would hear him. Or whatever heard him, wouldn't come to help him, more to eat him. Annoyed he hit the GPS, entered the destination codes again and waited. The machine made some noise, the screen went black and stayed this way.

"Are you kidding me?" He tried to turn it on again. Nothing happened. "You must be kidding me, don't tell me your batteries are empty, that's fucking impossible. I changed them two hours ago, they were new. Come on, you bloody piece of mechanic..." He shook the GPS, hit it again and when nothing happened, he threw it into the bushes.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

Now what? Without a GPS he was lost. The map he had was no help, he put it away an hour ago when he left the last dirt road. Could he find the way back to the road? Where did he walk? It wasn't a path, it was more like he walked between bushes, that didn't stand too close next to each other, but a path...well, it was his only chance. Find the way back to the road and hope somebody came along and picked him up. How could he...something got between his legs, made him lose his balance. He fell and hit his head on something hard. Whatever it was, it knocked him out.

* * *

When he opened his eyes he found himself in a tent. How the hell did he end up in a tent? The last thing he remembered was he threw away the GPS and tripped over something. After that the world turned dark, but he had been in the rain forest and not in a tent. Carefully he tried to get up, but his head hurt too much. When he touched it with his hands, the pain increased until it was almost unbearable. Concussion. He had at least a concussion. The way his head felt, he must look like he was ran over by a train. That's what happened when a city boy loses his way in the wilderness. He was great in San Diego, Las Vegas or any other big city, when it came to nature he was a failure.

Okay, getting up wasn't an option so he had to have a look around while he stayed on...what was it? A camp bed. There was another camp bed in the left corner of the tent and a table with two chairs. Good, he was with people, who knew beds and tables. And a radio! In the corner, next to what looked like a door, was a radio.

Civilization. Somehow he must have managed to lost conscious in the rain forest close to people, who knew radios. And when they had radios, they surely had a car and could get him out of here, take him back to the city. What a stupid idea, he in the wilderness. No wonder he ended up on the ground, lost conscious and needed people to help him. He was out of his natural place, he was a city boy, a beach boy, but not a rain forest man. For a moment he felt like one of the four characters of the comic movie 'Madagascar', lost in the jungle, trying to find their way back to New York because Madagascar was more nature than they could handle. This was also more nature he could handle. As he proofed by tripping and losing conscious.

The tent was opened and a woman appeared. To Greg she looked like she was native to this country, but that didn't mean it was true. When he had her DNA he could tell a lot of things about her, when he could only look, all he had were guesses. She looked at him like she expected him to be awake and smiled. Without words she walked towards him, offered him some bottled water, she picked up from the table.

"Thank you." He hadn't realized how thirsty he was. Water never tasted better than now. Cold, fresh and...it made him feel less pain in his head. Was he dehydrated? Or were there pain killer in the water? "Where am I?"

The woman only smiled and didn't answer. She seemed to check on him by only looking at him. Various tattoos on her arms and legs made her look a little bit mysterious.

"Do you speak English?"

No answer. She waited until he finished the bottle, took it and left again.

"Hey, wait." Ouch, calling out loud was also something his head didn't like. The problem was, he couldn't get up and follow her, could he? Maybe his feet worked better after the water. Slowly he rose, sat up. The tent spun a little bit, he opened and closed his eyes a couple of times before the picture he saw stood still.

"When I want to get up, I can do it!" He clenched his teeth and pushed himself up. Back into the spinning room. What a way to get up...and down on the camp bed again. Maybe it was better to try this slowly, first he could sit here for a minute and then try it again. The last time he felt like this, with such a head and a spinning room, was when he had way too many cocktails. What a night, so much fun. Looking back the pain was worth the fun.

"Up, up to the sky." Or at least on his feet. He pushed himself up, swayed, closed his eyes so the tent couldn't spin anymore and opened his eyes. He stood upright and was ready to conquer the world; or walk a step. Which was the first step of conquering the world. Step by step he walked towards the exit, only a few more steps and he was there, could see where he was.

Just before he reached the exit, it got opened and he stopped.

"Greg!"

"Sara! What are you doing here?" How did she find him? He lost his way and ended up in the middle of nowhere. And there she was.

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here? Why aren't you in Las Vegas?"

"I..." He tried to keep his balance, the world started spinning around again. "I..."

"You have to sit down, you have a concussion and...Greg, do you hear me?"

Yes, he heard her words but he couldn't act. He felt sick and fought with his balance. Where was the table? The chairs, he had to sit down. ASAP. Arms got around him and almost carried him back to the bed.

"You should stay in bed, silly man." Sara guided Greg back to the bed, helped him to lay down and sat next to him, holding his hand. "Promise me you won't try to get up again. The doctor said, you need to rest. You hit your heat pretty hard. What did you do?"

"I...I don't know." And what he remembered wasn't very heroic. Tripping over something and banging his head. Typically lab rat in the fields. Nothing he could impress her with. Why did his parents not allow him to do sports in high school? As a footballer he might have been able to fall more...softer? Secure his head with arms?

"What are you doing here? Why aren't you in Vegas?"

"I...had to come here."

"Why? Don't tell me you want to talk me into coming back."

"No, I don't." Although it had been his plan for a day or two. Then he realized, it wasn't a good plan, when Sara didn't want to be in Vegas, he had to accept it and find another solution to his problem.

"But?"

"No buts."

"Why did you come here, Greg? What for?"

"I came here for you." The words she said to him when he was on the ground, beaten, covered in his own blood. She came there for him, now he came here for her.

"For me?"

"Yeah...the plan was to surprise you...guess I surprised you but not the way I planed. The second time you found me on the ground...I think I'm as far as possible away from being a hero. Sorry Sara, this wasn't my plan." He closed his eyes. Just one second to get new power.

"What was your plan?" Her voice was soft, she kept his hand in hers, stroke it gently. It felt so good.

"I...I wanted to tell you that I...I quit my job."

"What? Why?"

"Because...Vegas isn't the same without you. Without you, there's no reason for me to stay."

"You like your job, you fought so hard to become a CSI, work in the fields."

"Work isn't the most important thing in life. I can live without work, without Vegas, without being a CSI but I...I figured out the last months, I can't be without you. To be happy, I need you in my life. No matter where the life is, as long as you're with me, everything is fine." Why was talking so hard? There were so many things he wanted to tell her, but each word was a fight.

"You came here for me? To be with me? Even when you...when you're not comfortable in the rain forest."

"Whatever it takes to be with you. A man should never let the woman walk away he loves." That wasn't a planed part of his speech, he practiced over and over again on his flight to Costa Rica. This was a confession, that might have been too...soon.

"You left Vegas, you quit your job, you risked everything you ever worked for." Her voice was filled with disbelieve.

"Pretty silly, isn't it?"

"Absolutely crazy."

"I know...it feels right and good anyway...well, when I ignore the pain and focus on being here with you, it feels good."

"You're a crazy man."

"In some countries they might call me crazy, yes." In most probably.

"And they're right. You gave up your life."

"No, I ended a part of my life, a life you weren't involved and decided, I want to start a new one, one I can be around you. To me it sounds like I did the right thing...you need to teach me how to work with a GPS in the rain forest, I guess I'm in need for a lesson from my favorite teacher."

"You're really serious."

"Sara, I've never been more serious. I'm rather in the rain forest with you, doing whatever they want me to do, than in Vegas as a CSI without you."

"Crazy lab rat."

"Crazy camp side rat?" He offered with a smile. "If you want me here." He hadn't asked her if she was fine with him here. So far it was his plan, a plan he kept to himself. If he could make the plan real, was up to other people, most important Sara.

"If I want you here? Was that a serious question?"

"Yes." When she said, she didn't want him here, he needed a new plan. One, he didn't dare to think of so far.

"Stupid question." Suddenly he felt lips on his, Sara's lips. She kissed him on the lips. First carefully, then, after he realized it wasn't a dream and he responded the kiss, she deepened the kiss. When this was her answer, it looked pretty good for him.


End file.
